HURRICANE - In some ways this game wasn’t close. It other ways, either team could have won. 22 seconds remaining in the game, the Tigers had a 11-point lead, but a last second touchdown, two missed point after touchdowns and a fumble in the Hurricane end zone, could have provided the Rabbits with a surprising win.

Hurricane, now 1-1 on the year, seemed to have things under control thoughout most of the game, but a third quarter drive, in which Delta traveled 78 yards, aided by some shoddy Tiger tackling, penalties and excellent running primarily by Delta’s Derek Peterson, seemed to be a change for Delta. Finally after getting the ball at the Tiger 2-yard line, Peterson seemed to get the ball across the end line, but coughed it up and allowed the Tiger defense to keep Delta away from the scoreboard.

While that was certainly a big change in momentum as Hurricane rolled down the field, capping the momentum swing in their favor with a 34-yard TD run by Tim Long, it wasn’t until after the game that the fumble recovery was actually the game winning play.

Long played exceptionally well on the night, finding numerous receivers in his 8 of 9 completions. Along with the rushing TD, he made a great throw to Tyler Hinton for a touchdown. Perhaps even a bigger play was Long’s athletic play to save a potential disastorous play into a positive effort. As Long was in the shot gun formation, the snap went wild, but Long corralled the ball and somehow found Jacob Pugh for a completion. That play allowed Hurricane to score early in the game and keep the Tigers comfortably ahead.

Peterson had a monster game for Delta, rushing for 159 yards, making the Tiger defense miss consistently all night. The shifty Peterson showed that he is one of the best runners in 3A with his lightening quick moves.

For full statistics of the game, click here